We are privileged to be working with the Van Winkle family for the past few months on a special project for Pappy & Co. run by the daughters of Julian Van Winkle.

We took 20 Pappy Van Winkle 15 year barrels apart and made custom barrel heads hand wood burned with Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery Family Reserve and a famous Pappy saying "Asleep many years in the wood." Each came with a Certificate of Authenticity, wood burned with the barrel number, fill date and the dump date. Each Certificate and barrel head were also signed by Julian Van Winkle.

These first 40 barrel heads sold out quickly but we are looking forward to the next barrels to be dumped early next year. For more information and to get your own Pappy merchandise go to www.pappyco.com!

Some comments from www.pappyco.com about the barrel heads:

Truly a unique piece! Posted by Matt S. on 22nd Nov 2013 I am extremely pleased with this barrel head. It smells of sweet pappy bourbon and will be a conversation piece for years to come .

Received my barrel head today and could not be happier. A quality product and great addition to any bourbon bar.

Can't wait to see the look on his face! Posted by Julie VanWinkle on 15th Dec 2013

This is a Christmas gift for the biggest Pappy lover. I can't wait to see the reaction when he opens it. The lid is truly hand crafted and beautiful. So nice to have Julian's signature as well. A great collector's item!

We started this business 3 years ago and there were only a handful of people making art out of barrels. Now there are bunches of people making things left and right. A few of them even dog us on their websites and pages. That's fine with us. The quality of our work, attention to detail and passion for bourbon, barrels, art and integrity is what matters.

We use each and every part of the barrel down to the sawdust. We make each and every piece by hand. Design, hand sanding, nailing, wood burning, everything. That is what sets us apart. No one does what we do, how we do it.

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We are flattered to death. Thank you to all of our loyal customers for standing behind us.

Bardstown, Kentucky is invaded by 50,000+ every September by people from all over the world to celebrate our native spirit. Throughout the week we had a barrel head with our new logo sitting on a table and asked that people sign it with their name and where they were from.

Our week started on Thursday at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Mary Ellyn Hamilton, curator, has graciously hosted us for two years. We, in turn, donate items for the Master Distiller's Auction which is the museum's major fundraiser for the year. While we were setting up a rather famous Kentuckian came by to say hello. Col. Michael Masters, aka "The Kentucky Bourbon Master" who has written several books on Kentucky hospitality, heritage andhistory. We also got to meet his beautiful wife, Margaret Sue. For more information on the Michael and Margaret Sue, visit www.kentuckybourbonhouse.com.

Another highlight from Thursday was a 20 minute visit with Jimmy Russell and his wife. Jimmy is the Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. I can't tell you what a thrill it was hearing some of the old stories. One of the most interesting was that his wife worked at the distillery before he did and encouraged him to get a job there.

Friday, Adam Harris, North American Brand Ambassador for Jim Beam stopped by and Friday night we went by the Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace that just opened on West Flaget downtown Bardstown. DeeDee and Howard are fabulous hosts and it seems everyone loves the bar Jeff made for the tasting room. The bar top was made from wood planks recovered from the floor of the kitchen of the building built in the 1820's and wood flooring found in the attic. It is truly a piece of art complete with wormholes.

Saturday was the Master Distiller's Auction and the black tie event, The Great Kentucky Bourbon Tasting and Gala where we got to chat with Bernie Lubbers, Brand Ambassador for Heaven Hill, Representative Rob Taylor of Iowa, Willie Pratt of Michter's, and Harlen Wheatley of Buffalo Trace, just to name a few.

Sunday went by in a blur but the bloody mary's from Bloody Kentucky helped get us through the day. We also had a drawing for one of our Garden Benches made from authentic bourbon barrel staves. The winner is Stacie M. from Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

We are blessed beyond words to be doing what we love. Can't wait until next year!

Wow! That's all I can say. What a fantastic weekend of music and bourbon. If you haven't heard of Forecastle you may very well have been living under a rock . Rolling Stone Magazine has named the fest one of the 33 coolest festivals. ("Forecastle Festival Success". Rolling Stone Magazine. July 2012) Click here to find out a little more about the Forecastle Foundation. http://forecastlefest.com/foundation/

According to Fred Minnick, author, photographer and journalist, Forecastle just became bourbon's most important festival, beating out the Kentucky Bourbon Festival because it's hitting a whole new target market. http://fredminnick.com/forecastle-just-became-the-worlds-most-important-bourbon-festival/ And we are proud to have contributed a small part to the effort. Big thanks to Stephanie Lindsay of Green Lady Studio for having faith that we could create her vision for this years Bourbon Lodge.

Thank you so much to Sydney O'Bryan for all the work to put together the Louisville Palace Wedding Show! We had a great time and there were TONS of brides and reluctant grooms. It's so funny to watch the guys hang back, standing a half step behind their bride-to-be.

Here are a few photos. It was an amazing show in such a beautiful, historic place. Lucky to have been asked to join in.

We are participating in our first Bridal Show at the historic Louisville Palace on Friday, January 11, 2013! If you haven't ever been inside the Palace you will be in awe!! It's gorgeous and such a fun place for a bridal event. This show is not the typical show either. The tag line on the website says, "This is not your mother's wedding show...it's YOUR wedding show!" There is going to be a "groom's" section at the show too. Can't wait!!

Please stop by to see us and some of the new things we've got just for brides (and grooms)!

Here's the link to Pre-Register so you can get in for FREE! http://www.palaceweddingshow.com/#/brought-to-you-by-boudoir-louisville/

Congratulations on your nuptials!Your unique Bourbon Barrel Rehab Bourbon Barrel Head Guest Book needs a little special attention. It is best for your guests to use extra fine point permanent markers (i.e. Sharpie) to write on the surface of the barrel head to avoid bleeding and smearing. Once you have all your signatures and salutations use four or five coats of a SPRAY polyurethane to coat and protect the surface. DO NOT brush on a sealant as the marker will smear! Please be aware that your barrel head has recently been in contact with bourbon and will still be drying out. Your Guest Book has been reinforced but over time may still shrink and you may see the gaps between the wood expand a bit. This is all normal, so don’t worry if there is some separation. The back of the barrel head has been felted so it won’t scratch your walls if you decide to hang your barrel head (we have included a hanger and screws for you.) Be careful when hanging the barrel head because it is fairly heavy. May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace. May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase. May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past. Old Irish Wedding Blessing

We were lucky enough to be invited to a wedding this weekend out in the beautiful Kentucky countryside. Beth & Ryan did it up right! Terrific weather (although a little cold at night), great people and lots of bourbon! Ryan works with Angel's Envy and I think at last count we went through 8 cases! Here are a few photos of the happy couple and the barrel head guest book we did for them!

Mr & Mrs

Shout out to Kyle Henderson and Angel's Envy Bourbon for helping make the day warmer! The 23 year old Pappy helped too!

The Groom's Cake! One of his favorite places is the now abandoned Old Taylor Distillery. One of the prettiest places on the Kentucky River.